Why The Los Angeles Lakers Should Draft James Mays

For those of you not familiar with the trade that took away the Lakers' first round pick, I'll bring you up to date.

Pau Gasol certainly provided his new team with many great games this past year, but probably not at the price that was paid for him.

The Los Angeles Lakers traded their 2008 first-round pick, 2010 first-round pick, Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and the draft rights to Marc Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol and a future second round pick.

Sound a little one-sided?

In any case, the Lakers find themselves without a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. The 58th overall pick is the first selection Los Angeles will make on draft day.

The Lakers have no real need for any specific kind of player. It always is nice when you can go into a draft knowing that you will take the best player available.

James Mays, a 6'9'' senior from Clemson, is a great option for the Lakers at No. 58.

As a power forward, Mays doesn't have super court vision, so he probably won't go any higher than the middle of the second round. His enormous potential is what is drawing the attention of many NBA teams.

Offensively, Mays is very raw. His post game needs work, as he isn't a very strong finisher. He is very good, however, at establishing his position in the paint.

The problem with that is that his poor court vision and court sense often places him in awkward situations. Many times he forgets where he is, and is forced into shots from poor angles.

Defensively, Mays is bursting with potential. He is not the best perimeter guard, but that is almost expected of a 6'9'' forward. His post defensive work is already great and he has plenty of room for improvement.

Another great aspect of this senior from Clemson is his body length. He will provide many blocked shots, deflected, and stolen passes at the next level.

While Mays probably won't be established enough to crack the starting five in 2009, he will prove to be great off the bench.

If things go better than planned and Mays is outstanding as a rookie, this is what the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers could look like at times:

Guard - Derek Fisher
Guard/Forward - Kobe Bryant
Forward - Lamar Odom
Forward - James Mays
Forward/Center - Pau Gasol

Reserves:

Andrew Bynum
Jordan Farmar
Luke Walton
Vladimir Radmanovic
Trevor Ariza

If all goes according to plan, this Lakers team could find themselves in the same position at the exact same time next year.